Pacific Odyssey - Leg 7

Today was probably the most boisterous day weather-wise so far this leg.
The ship continues to move violently up and down, the bow plunging into the
waves with water soaking the bowsprit and foredeck.  Sometimes a wave
crashes onto the port side of the Grace spraying water as far back as the
after cabin skylight.  A trip from the half open foc´sle scuttle hatch,
across the deck to the after deck is taking a very good chance of getting
doused by a wave.   Today I needed to go from the after cabin to the galley
to get a drink for Simon.  It was no small errand; I left the after cabin,
climbing on deck over the closed wash boards (see previous log), down the
deck of a very moving ship in a strong wind, through an opening left as
small as possible in the foc´sle hatch, down the companionway and into the
hold of the ship.  I then had to navigate my way through trainees and crew
filling the hold, playing games, sitting around the table, standing around
the table, hanging in bunks chatting, making tea etc. and get Simon´s mug
off a hook and fill it with juice from a rocking gimbaled table over the
heads of people sitting.  Then, with a full cup of liquid, I retraced my
steps back to the after cabin, hoping I was not tempting fate by trying the
´deck traverse´ twice within 5 minutes, hoping to stay dry.  Small,
seemingly minor tasks take at least twice as much work as normal, probably
more.  Christina felt proud she had taken a sink rinse in the head; it´s
quite a feat, cleaning oneself in a moving small room.  Watch officers and
trainees on watch try not to have to use the head during watch; it takes a
lot of effort to go below and remove all one´s layers and then put them back
on again to return on deck.  No one sees any of this as abnormal; we´ve
become used to it.  Tristan and Sean spent a few very wet moments out on the
bowsprit fixing the whisker shrouds.  Mark wanted a good photo of the wild
water coming over the bow of the ship and unthinkingly positioned himself by
the fore shrouds (port and starboard cables that support the foremast).  The
rest of fore watch watched from the wheel, anticipating something worth
watching . . . which came in the form of the huge wave he was wanting!  The
day was mostly grey but there were several moments when the sun tried to
come through and we could feel a slight warmth through our raingear.  Right
now, from the deck I hear the reassuring sound of Becca laughing, keeping
her watch happy and entertained.  I think James is also performing his whale
poem with sound effects, it´s excellent and consistently makes us howl with
laughter.  Spirits are good; a few trainees are still getting used to the
motion and the rhythm of not knowing quite when we will ´get there.´  For
most of us, life is here on the ship without too many thoughts of the land
ahead.  Every so often it creeps into our consciousness, some more than
others, but for the most part, we are trying to live in the moment.  We made
our lowest mileage for a 24 hour period today, 55 nm.  At about 1000hrs
Skipper and Jordan started the engines and we made close to 6 knots for
several hours, until 2000 hrs.  We are down to 2 knots but again, the
silence is heavenly.  The engine room door was opened for an hour to allow
some heat into the after cabin as the stove refuses to work on this tack.
Watches continue to enjoy themselves despite the cold on deck, though more
and more layers are being added when we go on deck.  Chris E. had only his
eyes visible as he covered his forehead with his gore-tex hood and wrapped
himself in a scarf and closed his raincoat closures to above his nose; yes,
it´s cold but we´re managing just fine.  Tea, coffee, and hot chocolate
continue to flow.  Dolphins swam with the ship again today during Antony´s
1200-1600 hr watch, always wonderful to watch.  The Offshore Planning
Committee met today; they are getting closer to figuring out our next route,
there are so many wonderful places to visit, but winds, hurricane season
etc. dictate so much of when and where the Grace can go.  The club members
are finding that out; it´s an excellent exercise.  Our California Sea Lion
was newly identified as a Northern Fur Seal; it is difficult to see details
close enough to distinguish one from the other.  Our ´Words of the Day´
today were ´zoilism´ (noun) - nagging criticism, ´zneesy´ (adj) - freezing,
and ´zumbooruk´ (noun) - a small cannon fired from the back of a camel.  We
have had many words presented as ´Words of the Day´ throughout this
offshore, thanks to a good friend, Stephen Duff, who collected them and gave
them to me.  Steve would like to wish his brother Ben a great day today May
26th.  Happy Birthday Ben, from Steve.  Until tomorrow, good-night,
Bonice.